Episode 254
Lacrosse Insights: Head Coaches Brendan Storrier and Gordon Purdy Share Their Perspectives
Hosts Mike Guidone and Chris Caputo begin the show discussing the remarkable circumstances surrounding Division 2 Limestone University’s men's lacrosse team, led by head coach Brendan Storrier. The guys talk with Brandan, discussing how the team, facing the unprecedented closure of their institution, has nevertheless secured a position in the NCAA tournament, a testament to their resilience and dedication.
Following this poignant narrative, hosts Mike and Chris welcome Gordon Purdie, the esteemed head coach of Adelphi University’s men's lacrosse program, who offers insights into the local lacrosse landscape and the ongoing competitive season. The episode traverses the significant challenges and triumphs inherent in collegiate athletics, particularly as they relate to the heartfelt stories emerging from the world of lacrosse. As the conversation unfolds, it reflects upon the broader implications of such challenges for student-athletes and their futures.
Takeaways:
- The narrative surrounding Limestone University's men's lacrosse program is particularly compelling, given the impending closure of the institution amidst their participation in the NCAA tournament.
- Coach Brendan Storrier's approach to maintaining team morale during adversities highlights the importance of unity and resilience in sports.
- The discussion with Coach Gordon Purdy emphasizes the significance of local talent in shaping the success of collegiate lacrosse programs, especially at Adelphi University.
- The impact of the transfer portal on collegiate athletics is a critical topic, affecting recruitment and retention strategies for coaches like Purdy and Storrier.
- Both coaches express a commitment to their players' futures, irrespective of the challenges faced by their respective programs, showcasing their dedication to athlete welfare.
- The episode provides insights into the evolving landscape of Division 2 lacrosse, as highlighted by the expansion of the playoff bracket and the increasing competitiveness of the teams involved.
Transcript
The views expressed in the following program.
Speaker B:Do not necessarily represent those of the staff, management or owners of wgb.
Speaker B:Live from the WGB studios in Merrick.
Speaker C:New York, this is Sports Talk New York.
Speaker A: : Speaker A:Got a great hour for you tonight.
Speaker A:We're going to be talking lots and lots of sticks as in lacrosse here on Long Island.
Speaker A:Have a great national story that we're going to go over over at Limestone University, bringing their coach on, Brendan Storer.
Speaker A:And then we're going to talk a little local lacrosse with Gordon Purdy, who's the head coach out at Adelphi University.
Speaker A:Then we'll talk a little Mets and Nick's to get it finished up tonight.
Speaker A:But before we do any of that, welcome Cappy.
Speaker A:How you doing tonight?
Speaker C:All right, Mike.
Speaker C:Glad we are back in.
Speaker A:Oh, we threw, we threw a little, we threw a little curveball.
Speaker A:There we go.
Speaker A:Yep.
Speaker C:Sorry, Mike.
Speaker A:That's okay.
Speaker C:Glad to be back in studio.
Speaker C:Brian Graves on the other side of the glass gonna get us through this hour.
Speaker C:So it should be a fun hour talk.
Speaker C:You know, lacrosse is a little bit different but Mike, we did this last year with a baseball team that you know, was in the NCAA tournament.
Speaker C:So I kind of like these field stories and you know, how people bounce back.
Speaker C:We'll see how it goes.
Speaker C:But yeah, you know, the Knicks being able to make it to the second round gives us something to talk about.
Speaker C:Mets going up and down recently.
Speaker C:But at 22 and 12 you can't be too upset.
Speaker C:And you know, Yankees have the best player on the planet as far as I'm concerned.
Speaker A:Well, he's certainly showing that at this point.
Speaker A:We're waiting for Mr.
Speaker A:Soto to get moving here, but you know, I mean for any other mere mortal you would take what he's giving you at the moment, but of course it's a little different.
Speaker A:But as Cappy mentioned, you know, feel good.
Speaker A:Well, it's a, I don't know if it's a feel good story or it evokes a lot of feelings.
Speaker A:We're talking tonight about Limestone University, which is down in South Carolina.
Speaker A:Now why we have them on their coach, two reasons.
Speaker A:Number one, they do play in Division 2 and they're going to play some local teams here, most likely in the playoffs Delphi, Pace, Malloy, perhaps, but Limestone University just found out about.
Speaker A:Was it about three weeks ago?
Speaker A:I guess three, four weeks ago, Cap?
Speaker C:Not even, I think, just over a week ago.
Speaker A:The school is closing, and here they are.
Speaker A:They're in the NCAA tournament, as you mentioned.
Speaker A:We talked a little baseball last year with that on the Division 3 level and how these teams kind of prepare for this and everything else.
Speaker A:So it's a pretty wild story when you put in the time and effort.
Speaker A:And these colleges have been around.
Speaker A:Unfortunately, it seems to be kind of the norm now.
Speaker A:So many small independent schools, colleges are closing.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:And you look around and it's just.
Speaker C:It's hard for people to meet the standards of that.
Speaker C:And then, you know, you got kids trying to go to colleges.
Speaker C:I know I have a bunch of kids that I teach, and they.
Speaker C:The cost of college education is through the roof.
Speaker C:So when they're trying to find something local, hopefully it makes more sense.
Speaker C:Kids want to go to Buffalo or one of the SUNY schools.
Speaker C:I think it's a little more affordable, but it's just hard to find that.
Speaker C:And, Mike, with the Nils and people trying to get more money at the Division 1 level, I think it waters down some of the D2 and the D3 chances.
Speaker A:Yeah, because when you talk about college athletics, I mean, we can talk about the NCAA tournament, Division 1 basketball, and football, but that's a whole nother animal.
Speaker A:Probably even baseball to some extent.
Speaker A:But, yeah, I know about costs.
Speaker A:My daughter Maggie's graduating in two weeks from Salvier Virginia University, which has a very, very solid Division III baseball program up there.
Speaker A:But, yeah, the costs are just nuts and out of control.
Speaker A:But this story about Limestone University is really.
Speaker A:I'm very, very curious to talk to coach and see how it goes.
Speaker A:And without any further ado, we'd like to bring on coach Brendan Storier from Limestone University.
Speaker A:Head coach, men's lacrosse coach, this is Mike and Chris up here in New York.
Speaker A:How are you doing tonight?
Speaker B:I'm doing well.
Speaker B:How are you guys?
Speaker A:We're doing fine.
Speaker A:We gave the audience just a little bit of a teaser about what's going on at Limestone and your program, but obviously we're interested for two reasons.
Speaker A:Number one, it's an amazing story of what you're going through right now with your program and your players and what you have to face in the closing of your university.
Speaker A:And here you are in the NCAA tournament.
Speaker A:And also here on Long island, you know, we have such a strong lacrosse base.
Speaker A:We're pretty familiar with the Division 2 programs here.
Speaker A:So first of all, welcome to the program.
Speaker A:And secondly, what's your mindset at the moment as you prepare for the NCAA Tournament?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think we're trying to keep that as normal as possible.
Speaker B:We've been fortunate to get.
Speaker B:Get invited to these pretty consistently throughout the last 25 years.
Speaker B:You know, it's certainly an honor.
Speaker B:Our team earned it and so we're excited for that.
Speaker B:And, you know, we're trying not to look forward.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:We're trying to not look ahead.
Speaker B:We play a really tough North Greenville team.
Speaker B:It's an in state team.
Speaker B:They're right down the road from us.
Speaker B:They're well coached, they play really hard, they win face off.
Speaker B:So we're trying to take it one game at a time and really just putting our best foot forward against them.
Speaker B:And then if we get a chance to be together for, you know, another four or five days and whoever you know is next up is going to be the biggest game of our life.
Speaker C:Coach, this is Chris here.
Speaker C:I just wanted to ask you a little bit about the mindset because it's kind of local, it's kind of new.
Speaker C:It's not like they told you in March, hey, Coach, this is, this was something where they said, we want to try to come up with $6 million.
Speaker C:People tried to come up with $2 million.
Speaker C:And the board of Ed and the trustees already said, you know, no.
Speaker D:Good.
Speaker C:This was basically April 29th, for all intents and purposes, a week ago.
Speaker C:What is the mindset?
Speaker C:As you're obviously at that point trying to prepare for a conference tournament, then NCAA tournament?
Speaker C:How do you balance the NCAA tournament yourself, where you might be next year, and then also your freshmen, sophomores and juniors.
Speaker C:How do you balance those three things?
Speaker B:So when this news first came out, you know, I wasn't shocked.
Speaker B:And I told that to the parents when I sent that my first email.
Speaker B:But I was surprised, you know, I was taken, you know, off guard.
Speaker B:I didn't think it was something that was being talked about happening.
Speaker B:I didn't think it would happen, you know, but, you know, when you're in this line of work and you're at a small school and, you know, you know, every March they talk to you about your budget and, and that happens.
Speaker B:That's happening all over the country to small schools.
Speaker B:So, you know, anything's possible.
Speaker B:So when I spoke to the guys, you know, we say, hey, top of the transfer portal, and we're going to help you every way that we can.
Speaker B:You're going to be okay.
Speaker B:You're at a really prestigious program.
Speaker B:People are going to want you on their teams.
Speaker B:And there's also a lot of schools out there that need suits, you know, and again, right.
Speaker B:You're at a very good lacrosse program.
Speaker B:You know, we hope that they're well coached and that they'll certainly be successful at their next place.
Speaker B:So that was the first thing just to make sure that the guys were okay, that they knew that we were going to help them, and it wasn't.
Speaker B:Hey, you know, don't.
Speaker B:Don't do this.
Speaker B:Don't do that.
Speaker B:You know, every.
Speaker B:You know, wait.
Speaker B:You know, I didn't want them to wait.
Speaker B:You know, I had hopes, and I had.
Speaker B:You know, I was optimistic that people would figure it out, but I.
Speaker B:I didn't want my hopes to interfere with their future.
Speaker B:So that was something that we started to kind of get to right away.
Speaker B:And the only thing I asked them is, hey, when we're in the locker room and we're on the field, it's got to be all limestone.
Speaker B:Our seniors deserve that.
Speaker B:The program deserves that.
Speaker B:And, you know, our guys are second to none when it comes to, you know, being classy, you know, young men, and they're doing a great job trying to, you know, stay on task.
Speaker A:Coach.
Speaker A:The announcement almost went viral, or pretty much did go viral in terms of, you know, the video of the gathering in the gym and everything.
Speaker A:It was a.
Speaker A:I mean, it was a heartbreaker.
Speaker A:You know, I'm a basketball coach along with Chris, and I coached at two Division 2 schools, Dowling and Liu Southampton, that have closed up here over the last couple years.
Speaker A:So I can't imagine what it's like for you.
Speaker A:I have a little bit of a feeling.
Speaker A:But that first practice when you got back together and after the news broke, was it more of like a.
Speaker A:How did you feel your team was.
Speaker A:Were they rallying together?
Speaker A:Were they still kind of in shock, or was it business as usual?
Speaker B:They were rallying together.
Speaker B:I mean, we had a game a couple days after that against Wingate, who not, you know, coincidentally, their coach was the head coach of Donneg when they shut down.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I mean, Coach Boyle, I'm sure you catch no.
Speaker B:Of him or no hitting.
Speaker B:So he's been through it, and, you know, he reached out right away just to see how, you know, I was doing and to just kind of offer his support in that regard.
Speaker B:And his team was wonderful.
Speaker B:After we played them, they weren't, you know, they weren't so wonderful the next time we played them, because they beat us in overtime.
Speaker A:Yeah, we saw that.
Speaker D:No, it was great.
Speaker B:You know, their team prayed with us after the game, and, you know, they didn't have to do that.
Speaker B:So the support that we've gotten, you know, certainly from schools in our conference, you know, the LRS of the world, the Newberry, those coaches, you know, also reached out and then, you know, friends that I have as well, so.
Speaker B:But, yeah, I mean, we try to keep it business as usual, regardless of what's going on.
Speaker B:But the guys rallied.
Speaker B:You know, I gave.
Speaker A:Hey.
Speaker B:I said, hey, what do we want to do?
Speaker B:How do we want to, you know, approach this?
Speaker B:Because we didn't know.
Speaker B:You know, I mean, we thought that, hey, we'll be able to finish our season, but you don't know.
Speaker B:You know, we're fortunate that we can continue as long as, you know, as long as we're able to.
Speaker B:So we're fortunate in that regard.
Speaker B:But, I mean, the guys are great.
Speaker B:You know, they're very close.
Speaker B:They know when they come to Limestone that you're playing to make the NCAA tournament and, you know, see what you're able to do.
Speaker C:We're talking with Brendan Sturrier, the head coach at Limestone in South Carolina.
Speaker C:They'll be the number two seed in the South.
Speaker C:Coach, you do get a home game.
Speaker C:Graduation was yesterday for the seniors.
Speaker C:What's it like to basically be playing a home game at a school that no longer exists?
Speaker C:What do you think that's going to be like on Wednesday?
Speaker B:Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker B:I think it'll be great.
Speaker B:I know we have a great support staff.
Speaker B:People are still on the books to make sure that we're getting need.
Speaker B:One thing Limestone has always been able to do is put on a great NCAA event, whether it's for men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, socce.
Speaker B:We've hosted basketball NCAA events here in the past as well.
Speaker B:So we're so fortunate to have support.
Speaker B:And that's what has always made Limestone so special, is the support we have and the excitement that is around our athletic programs.
Speaker C:And if you guys win, is the second game at the highest remaining seed or is there a spot for that?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So if we're fortunate enough to win on Wednesday, we'll host the next round.
Speaker C:At Limestone on Sunday.
Speaker C:Okay, let's keep it going.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:We gotta win on Wednesday.
Speaker B:That's for sure.
Speaker A:Now, coach, you played at Limestone, correct?
Speaker D:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:Yeah, myself and everyone on staff did.
Speaker A:That's fantastic.
Speaker A:So, obviously, you have such a great connection to the school, you know, and we could Go on for that, you know, with that for a long time.
Speaker A:My question is just kind of getting away from the school issue more towards your team.
Speaker A:Can you tell us just a little bit about your team?
Speaker A:And you went 15, 2.
Speaker A:There are some New York guys, as we noticed on your roster, which I'm sure is no surprise.
Speaker A:Just tell us a little bit about your team and what your scouting report is on you guys.
Speaker B:I don't want to give that up.
Speaker A:I know it's pretty.
Speaker B:Well, it's a team that works really hard.
Speaker B:We play hard, we try to play fast, we try to be disciplined as much as possible.
Speaker B:But when you play fast, sometimes your discipline goes out the window at times.
Speaker B:But again, like I said, it's just a hard working group of guys.
Speaker B:You know, we have guys from all over the place, like you said, New York.
Speaker B:You know, one of our assistants, Kevin Reesman, who grew up playing on Long island at Westfab, he was two time national player of the year as a face off guy at Limestone.
Speaker B:So, you know, he.
Speaker B:I always let him go to Long island, so I'd eat too much pizza and bagels if I win it.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:And then, you know, we have Kendall Collins.
Speaker B:He's from Kingston, New York.
Speaker B:He was an all American defenseman for us.
Speaker B:I'm from Lafayette, New York, which is right up near Syracuse.
Speaker B:So we have guys from all over New York, but also Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, all the way down the east coast into Florida and even the west and then certainly Canada.
Speaker B:So it's a group of guys made up from all over the place, and they find themselves in Gaffney, South Carolina, and just try to be a part of a special program and do something extraordinary.
Speaker C:Coach, at what point do you allow yourself to think about what's next for you?
Speaker C:Because you have to make a living and you're.
Speaker C:Your family needs to.
Speaker C:So at what point do you kind of think about where you go next and, you know, kind of take that into consideration?
Speaker B:Yeah, I think about it every time my wife asks me.
Speaker B:Yeah, I mean, she's great.
Speaker B:My family is so supportive and they love it as much as I do.
Speaker D:So it makes it easy.
Speaker B:I have people out there.
Speaker B:I don't have an agent or anything like that, but I have people that are looking out for me and, you know, making calls and seeing what the best course of action is, you know, and hopefully I'm someone that, you know, another school would want to be their lacrosse coach.
Speaker B:I care a lot about my guys.
Speaker B:I, you know, try to try to make them better.
Speaker B:Men, when it all, you know, comes down to it.
Speaker B:And fortunately, we get to do that through sport, the sport of lacrosse, because that's, you know, special.
Speaker B:And it's been a part of my life forever, really.
Speaker B:So I think about it, but I, you know, I try to keep it on the back burner as much as possible.
Speaker B:Again, like, you know, I don't talk about it, you know, around the guys or anything like that, because I expect them not to.
Speaker B:So how can I kind of break that?
Speaker A:Yeah, I mean, you're in an incredibly unique situation where, I mean, it's just all heck is breaking loose and you're trying to keep a team together and yourself and prepare, and we just.
Speaker A:We give you all the credit in the world.
Speaker A:We thank you so much for joining us for a few minutes tonight, Coach.
Speaker A:We wish you all the best.
Speaker A:You obviously run a very quality program.
Speaker A:I'm sure you'll land on your feet, but we're rooting for you.
Speaker B:I appreciate it.
Speaker B:I want to thank you guys for having us on.
Speaker B:Anytime I can talk about Limestone lacrosse is a good time.
Speaker B:It's a special program.
Speaker B:It's a special place, and there's so many special people that have been involved in the program for the last 35 years.
Speaker A:Well, it certainly is.
Speaker C:Well, keep the run going as long as you can and gotta win on Wednesday.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:As you said, one at a time.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker C:Coach Goodman, appreciate your time.
Speaker A:All the best.
Speaker B:Yes, sir.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:That was coach Brendan Storier from Limestone University of the Limestone Saints.
Speaker A:We're going to get a little different perspective here in just a second of a former Saint lacrosse player.
Speaker A:But, Kat, that's tough, man.
Speaker A:I give him all the credit in the world because when you just, like we said, I mean, all those things, you're juggling, plus you're trying to get a team, you're competitive, you're trying to get your team into the tournament.
Speaker A:He does.
Speaker A:You know, it's either going to be the greatest rallying cry ever or, you know, what a great story, if they can.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Either way, the ending is going to be tough.
Speaker C:Let's just put about it that way.
Speaker C:But pretty interesting how he said he reached out to a guy who happened to be at Dowling when Dowling closed to give him a little bit of an idea of, hey, how do you deal with this, knowing that the school's going to close?
Speaker C:So.
Speaker C:But he is keeping his players in there and trying to get them in a portal, which is the right thing to do.
Speaker C:But anyway, let's continue on and talk about a little more local.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:We're going to head on the parkway just up a little north, and we're going to bring in coach Gordon Purdy, who is the head coach at Adelphi University Men's lacrosse.
Speaker A:Has been there for quite some time.
Speaker A:Coach Purdy, welcome to the program.
Speaker A:Mike and Chris here on wgbb.
Speaker D:Mike, Chris, thanks for the invite to be on the call tonight.
Speaker A:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:Now, Coach, you probably don't remember this, but you and I met many, many years ago.
Speaker A:I was actually the athletic director at the little school Holy Child in Old Westboro.
Speaker D:Yep, I know where that is.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker A:And as you at Waldorf, we came across each other a couple of times.
Speaker A:But I'm going to throw it over here to Chris for a minute because in.
Speaker A:In the lore of our discussions, you are famous, really for one specific thing besides being the Adelphi coach.
Speaker A:So, Chris, you tell him.
Speaker C:Anytime I hear your voice, Coach, all I can hear is New York Saints lacrosse.
Speaker C:Be there.
Speaker D:Sounds like Peter, who used to collab in games, I think.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Love those times in the Coliseum.
Speaker D:There will always be fun memories of finishing those games and having so many fans there.
Speaker D:And we were drawing great crowds.
Speaker D:My teammates were wonderful.
Speaker D:Man, lacrosse was.
Speaker D:It brought me so much joy.
Speaker A:That had to be an amazing experience because unfortunately now the Coliseum has kind of fallen on some hard times.
Speaker A:Not a lot of tenants in there, although they are starting back with some arena football.
Speaker A:But, yeah, lacrosse, I mean, it's always so huge here on Long Island.
Speaker A:But the Saints, they were booming back then, and the excitement, as you mentioned, must have just been tremendous.
Speaker D:They were.
Speaker D:And you know, surprisingly, you know, once a month, once every three months, somebody will come up and say, hey, I used to watch you play at the Coliseum.
Speaker D:And you know, I hear those stories and, you know, I just left.
Speaker D:I love that play.
Speaker D:Loved it.
Speaker D:And the fans were great, the teammates were great.
Speaker D:Yeah, that was a fun memories back then of getting to play the game in an indoor setting during the winter.
Speaker D:It was fantastic.
Speaker C:We're talking with Gordon Purdy, head coach at Adelphi University.
Speaker C:Adelphi is the reigning national champs at the Division 2 level bracket.
Speaker C:Came out today, Adelphi, with a first round matchup at home against Georgian Court this week.
Speaker C:And, you know, possibly playing either Pace or Malloy in a second round if they are to advance.
Speaker C:Coach, talk a little bit about this year.
Speaker C:You know, you had one setback at St.
Speaker C:Anselm's and went back up there this weekend and after giving up a goal with two seconds to go and not winning the face off, still wind up getting a save and then a goal to win in overtime.
Speaker C:Talk about the excitement of that game and kind of what your team's about this year.
Speaker D:Yeah, so I think coming off a win last year and, you know, having played at adult five back in the 80s, it's been a long road to win a championship.
Speaker D: pionship, being there back in: Speaker D:But coming off that win, there was some hesitation.
Speaker D:We lost four of our top six scorers, some key defenders, and we weren't sure where we were at.
Speaker D:But these guys have rallied and rallied.
Speaker D:They have.
Speaker D:They're, you know, some of the leading scorers now in the country.
Speaker D:And, you know, our offense is clicking, our defense is.
Speaker D:Is great.
Speaker D:We've got the returning player of the year with us again, Dylan Renner, who's in the net and playing like a superstar.
Speaker D:So we're really, you know, we're really cautious about the upcoming games, but, you know, we're really pumped that we get the opportunity to play again.
Speaker A:Coach, looking over your roster here, you mentioned a couple people and your goalkeeper, who is just fantastic, obviously you're very, very Long island heavy in terms of your roster.
Speaker A:When you're recruiting, I would assume with your program being as excellent as it is and how you've built it, in some ways it almost kind of recruits itself.
Speaker A:But being that you're an international guy, do you look outside?
Speaker A:Well, I wouldn't even say New York, but around.
Speaker A:Around the globe.
Speaker A:Do people contact you outside of the United States?
Speaker D:We do, yeah.
Speaker D:So the answer is yes.
Speaker D:You know, recruiting, there's so many, you know, there's so many different things that go into recruiting.
Speaker D:I think Adofi is such a great institution, and it sent out so many teachers here in Nassau and Suffolk that really, you know, I've got so many connections with so many coaches, and those coaches reach out to me when they've got somebody special.
Speaker D:And so every player has, you know, some connection to somebody I seem to know at some point.
Speaker D:You know, we did pick up, you know, a Canadian, Reese Balor, who actually, you know, you spoke of it.
Speaker D:Found a way to throw the ball to Mikey Durnan, who scored for us.
Speaker D:But, you know, those players that come from afar, they're a little tricky.
Speaker D:You know, we really know what we've got when we recruit here in Nassau and Suffolk, because those guys have been tested and, you know, the coaches that are sending them to us sort of Know what we're looking for?
Speaker D:While some may say, oh look, you're looking for a D2 school, we don't really look to recruit D2 players.
Speaker D:You know, honestly, we're looking to go with those D1 players that don't get noticed by D1 big time coaches.
Speaker D:And I think we've got quite a few of those on our team.
Speaker C:Coach, the bracket this year has got some teams, you know, a little different 16 team bracket this year.
Speaker C:So everybody kind of gets a home game and then from there you might get another one.
Speaker C:Can you talk a little bit about the State of Division 2 lacrosse at this point?
Speaker C:I know Malloy, this is the first time that they'll be making it.
Speaker C:They're close to you guys.
Speaker C:One of your assistants used to kind of built the program.
Speaker C:Joe Catalani built the program at Malloy.
Speaker C:Can you talk a little bit about, you know, Division 2, where it's at for lacrosse and even more so in like in the area.
Speaker D:Sure.
Speaker D:So Division 2, you know, if you look at it and we've sort of been Division 2 back in the 70s and then we went to Division 1 in the 80s, early 90s, and now we're back at D2.
Speaker D:So we've sort of seen, you know, seen that quite a bit of change with Division 2.
Speaker D:I have some notes from Kevin Sheehan, who's actually on our staff right now and helping us, who was my coach back in the 80s, who, you know, who wrote a letter to the NCAA saying, hey, let's team up and put these Division 2 games with the Division 1 games, which, you know, ended up happening.
Speaker D:So, you know, we right now, you know, we've been out to California three times.
Speaker D:We're down in Florida traveling, we're trying to grow the game, you know, and with that bracket expanding to eight from the north and eight to the south, we get a chance to have four at large.
Speaker D:Those are all key roles in helping, you know, teams that have never made the playoffs have that extra opportunity.
Speaker D:You know, historically Division 2 has had the lowest chance of making a NCAA postseason game and of all the sports and that hasn't really been fair.
Speaker D:So to right now see 16 teams battle it out for a champion I think is awesome.
Speaker D:And to we see teams like Georgia Court, who's never made it from lacrosse and you know, as you said, Joe Cat started that program, put his life and blood into Malloy and you know, for us to have a chance to possibly play them, that's going to be, you know, somewhat challenging, but certainly we'll Be ready.
Speaker D:I can tell you that if we get to play.
Speaker D:Malloy.
Speaker A:Coach Gordon Purdy, Adelphi University men's lacrosse joins us.
Speaker A:And coach, you talked about trying to grow the game here in the Northeast.
Speaker A:It's always been, especially in the New York area, heading south to Florida as well.
Speaker A:Where else in the country would you think that lacrosse could be the next real hotbed out west, the Midwest?
Speaker A:I mean, is it kind of just evolving or.
Speaker A:Because obviously the game down south has been busted out as well.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So I remember when they said, hey, we're going to take it down south and, you know, Tampa is going to have a team and, you know, Lynn's going to have a team with me down there.
Speaker D:You know, I don't know how many times I've been down to Florida, but we're always, you know, got connections down in Florida that, you know, looking for us to come down and play.
Speaker D:And I'm, you know, I'm sure we'll probably end up there next year as well.
Speaker D:Where's the next one?
Speaker D:I mean, I'm sure Texas is going to be an upcoming, you know, Denver.
Speaker D:I've got friends out there that are telling me how great their La Crosse is.
Speaker D:I mean, I think the question is, if you look at the landscape of where La Crosse was 20, 30 years ago, you know, and I was around, it's scary to say then and to where it is now.
Speaker D:I mean, it's unbelievable growth.
Speaker D:And, you know, I think the bigger question is where won't it grow?
Speaker D:Yeah, you know, where will cross Narco?
Speaker D:So, you know, I keep seeing schools that are opening programs and opportunities for kids to play.
Speaker D:And I think it's fantastic.
Speaker D:You know, I do know and I've watched, you know, the demise of Dowling and as you spoke of now one, and you know, unfortunately we beat up a great player, Noah Gibson from St.
Speaker D:Rose.
Speaker D:And you know, that's terrible thing that's going on.
Speaker D:It's part of what's happening around the country.
Speaker D:That's a real tricky spot for many kids.
Speaker D:But right now, you know, there's so much opportunity for players to go play somewhere with, you know, 300 plus Division 3 schools, 70 plus Division 1 and 2 schools.
Speaker D:There's an awesome opportunity if you want your kid to go to school and to get to play a sport.
Speaker D:Lacrosse is a great opportunity.
Speaker C:Coach, as far as lacrosse goes, has the transfer portal affected teams like Adelphi yet with kids trying to go play Division 1, or you think they're just happy playing for Adelphi and playing for you and wanting to win another national championship.
Speaker C:So we.
Speaker D:Yeah, so we.
Speaker D:You know, the joke in our staff is we never lose any kids.
Speaker D:You know, we.
Speaker D:The joke is once you're.
Speaker D:You come to Adult Phi, no one ever wants to leave because we've got a real family, and it seems that way.
Speaker D:That said, historically, if you want to go back 10, 15 years before the Portal, there were so many kids that just seemed to be unhappy at Division 1 schools, going off and finding it wasn't all they wanted to.
Speaker D:And we recruited those kids to Adelphi through their high school coaches.
Speaker D:You know, now you've got the club teams out there, though.
Speaker D:It's a bigger.
Speaker D:You know, I think Adelphi is probably being hurt by the Portal because you enter the Portal, you're going to have, you know, 200 coaches reach out to you.
Speaker D:You know, it's.
Speaker D:It's no longer, you know, I'm connected to the 80 or so coaches around Long island that have these kids coming back home to these high schools.
Speaker D:It's now out there, and it's public.
Speaker D:So while it might be great for kids to now get new opportunities, I think that for us, you know, the Portal hasn't really helped to Delphi, so to speak.
Speaker C:Okay, so now that you're a veteran of this, what is the secret now for the next, let's say, week and a half to get yourself to the finals against the South?
Speaker C:You know, you got to play a game Wednesday, and if you win, you play the weekend, and then if you win that, you play the weekend after that.
Speaker C:What do you think is the.
Speaker C:Is the job of the coach to get the team ready to win three games in a week and a half?
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:So.
Speaker D:And we spoke about that with the boys tonight.
Speaker D:We had our meeting.
Speaker D:We watched the event, you know, in the selection show, and we felt the joy of our accomplishment.
Speaker D:You know, while we get to be number one right now, any team that loses, it's over.
Speaker D:And we stress the importance of now, you know, winning every practice that we go out to, taking one play at a time and doing as well as you can in that play and taking advantage of the opportunity you have.
Speaker D:And we really feel blessed to be able to do that.
Speaker D:We've got players and veterans that have been there and have gone through this before and understand how important it is to be as ready as you can.
Speaker D:While you may only have a roster size of 34, I think we can play at the NCAA level now that we're competing.
Speaker D:We really do understand that it takes all 50 of us to compete in practice, to prepare us so that come Wednesday, we put our best foot out in front of Georgia Court.
Speaker A:Could you please.
Speaker D:And that's always looking.
Speaker D:Sorry, that's all we're looking at right now.
Speaker D:That's why you have looking past Georgia.
Speaker C:Court, and that's why you have assistant coaches to be able to look forward.
Speaker C:Not for the kids.
Speaker C:The kids are focusing on one game, right?
Speaker D:Yes.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker D:Listen, my coaches, you know, and I've got a bunch of them, but Coach Cat, Coach Volp, you know, who are veterans, you know, both of them have been coach of the year in the last two years, have done an outstanding job.
Speaker D:You know, we were up at.
Speaker D:You know, we were up at St.
Speaker D:A's, and both of these guys are just veterans at knowing exactly what the finger of the pulse of our team is.
Speaker D:And, you know, I'm blessed to have two guys that just are able to step up and lead both sides of the ball.
Speaker D:You know, Cat used to be a defensive coach, you know, and he used to be a head coach for 17 years at Moy.
Speaker D:So, you know, he and I have sort of, you know, worked together now for some 17 years, which is crazy.
Speaker D:And I think we both understand what it takes.
Speaker D:You know, it was a joy to coach with him last year and Coach Flo and to watch and see us win last year was, you know, a dream come true for both of us, and we want that dream for this team now.
Speaker A:So in early February, you played Georgian Court.
Speaker A:You took care of them relatively easy.
Speaker A:19 6, scouting them.
Speaker A:And coming into this first game, what do you think about their improvement throughout the year and what's your main goal as a game plan for them?
Speaker D:Yeah, I mean, I hope they're not listening, but they probably are.
Speaker A:I promise we will not simulcast this down.
Speaker D:Yeah, Mickey, listen, he's a great coach.
Speaker D:We've played him a few years in a row right now, and, you know, he sort of knows our talent.
Speaker D:We know his talent.
Speaker D:You know, I'm on a text with him to congratulate him for winning, you know, and being an automatic bid, which is just awesome for him.
Speaker D:You know, he showed what it means to improve, and he has done that.
Speaker D:So, listen, that's a much improved team from when we play them.
Speaker D:And so I've spoken to Coach Kat and I've spoken to Coach Volpe.
Speaker D:Those guys won't get much sleep tonight.
Speaker D:They're putting their game plan together.
Speaker D:They're going to be doing what they need to do.
Speaker D:So tomorrow, when we hit the practice field, we're going to know exactly what our roles are as players and it's not really going to be too much different.
Speaker D:We're going to know we might switch matchups a little bit from when we're out there.
Speaker D:You know, I happen to be watching a bit of lacrosse today and you know, watching some of the things we did well and what we need to improve on when we play them again, you know, but it's a real blessing to have a team of players that I have that are so willing to sacrifice any part of their game for the greater good of the team.
Speaker D:And I mean that.
Speaker D:You know, sometimes we need to put a shot clock in because we don't want to shoot and we're giving up shots.
Speaker D:Some of the goals we scored against teenage were, you know, assisted goals that we love.
Speaker D:And you know, if there was any thing we need to work on is having our players take a shot before, you know, before the shot club runs out because they really want to share the ball.
Speaker D:And defensively, you know, with Renner in the cage as our true leader, it's just awesome to watch, you know, him and Volpe architect a defense to, you know, to do as well as they did against Georgia Court the first time and we're going to try to do that again.
Speaker C:Well, we hope to be able to be talking to you again as back to back national championships.
Speaker C:I don't want to put the, you know, Garten in front of anybody, but at this point we're going to, you know, keep an eye out for you guys and really, coach, we appreciate your time and wish you guys the best of luck moving forward.
Speaker D:It's my pleasure but I truly thanks for the invite tonight and yeah, we'll see how we go Wednesday at Adelphi.
Speaker D:Probably looking at four.
Speaker D:We have that NCAA call tomorrow morning to find out and confirm that, but probably our NCAA game is out of Delphi.
Speaker D:For all those fans that may want to come out and see a game Wednesday night, Wednesday evening, afternoon, whatever time it ends up being, we hope to.
Speaker C:See out there and eventually get yourselves to Foxborough.
Speaker C:That's the goal.
Speaker D:Yes, we would love to get back as being the goal.
Speaker D:Since we came back.
Speaker D:January 17th is our first day back and that's what we've been working for, one practice at a time.
Speaker A:Fantastic.
Speaker A:Coach Gordon Purdy, again, we thank you very much, wish you all the best and we'll definitely be watching.
Speaker D:My pleasure.
Speaker D:Thanks again guys.
Speaker A:Take care.
Speaker C:That was good.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Gordon Purdy, Adelphi University men's lacrosse coach getting ready to try to defend their national title on the Division 2 level.
Speaker A:We're going to take a quick time out here and on the other side, talk a little baseball, a little basketball here on Long Island's WGBB Sports Talk New York.
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Speaker C:And now back to the show.
Speaker A: ,: Speaker A: -: Speaker A:If you'd like to call in, talk a little lacrosse that we just went over or if you'd like to talk some Mets, Yankees, Knicks, we have, unfortunately, hockey, we're not going to get to hockey, much to our friend John Santa Maria, much to his chagrin, although we'll hear a little bit from Johnny in the coming weeks about the jets draft and we'll be honing in a little bit more football.
Speaker A:But Cap, as you mentioned, we have the Knicks and the Mets, really especially, you know, for us two big fans of those programs, especially the Mets.
Speaker A:So Mets dropped a double header today.
Speaker A:They got rained out yesterday, dropped two very close games, obviously one run games to the Cardinals, you know, anything to be concerned about at this moment.
Speaker C:I think the thing that is frustrating is that most if not, you know, 90% of the Mets losses this year have been by one or two runs.
Speaker C:Yeah, they're not getting blown out.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker C:You know, they're just not having games where they lose 11 nothing.
Speaker C:But when you're right there and you blow it and you had three Stanick games that, that they blew in the past, I'd say 12 days, that's not good.
Speaker C: point, you know, maybe like a: Speaker C:But you can't really be upset.
Speaker C:You still stay a couple of games ahead of the Phillies the pitching staff is okay.
Speaker C:Obviously, every lefty on the Mets is now hurt.
Speaker C:You know, there's no more bullpen guys that can throw.
Speaker C:Even the guy we signed that's a lefty is still hur rarely.
Speaker C:So I think that's the problem is maybe their bullpen arms are just getting.
Speaker C:They're so tired.
Speaker C:These guys are being thrown out there every day, and it's a matter of, you know, they call up Daniel Nunez, so maybe he's ready, but it's just trying to fill so many guys in.
Speaker C:And I think part of that is the Kodai Senga.
Speaker C:We can't pitch him every five days, and now you're looking for either a day off or who's going to be the spot starter.
Speaker C:And now we bring up, you know, this lefty that pitches, and then we bring up, you know, today they start another guy, and I just think they're dipping a little too much, and I just hope that the injuries don't overwhelm them.
Speaker A:Yeah, we wish they could play every game at Citi field.
Speaker A:I mean, they're 13, three at home, you know, nine and ten on the road.
Speaker A:I just have this in front of me, you know, the last 10.
Speaker A:Mets, 4 and 6, Phillies, 6 and 4.
Speaker A:Nationals, 5 and 5, Braves, 5 and 5, which is, you know, they got off.
Speaker A:The Braves got off to a horrific start.
Speaker A:I don't know if they're going to be able to dig out of that, though.
Speaker C:But, Mike, people say the Mets have only played, I think, six teams over.500 at this point, out of all their games.
Speaker C:Six games, whatever.
Speaker C:Yeah, but they're also putting teams under.500 by beating them.
Speaker C:You know, you got to play who's in front of you.
Speaker C:But I think this is a big stretch where you're going to have to play, you know, some decent teams or they're going to go to play Arizona next week.
Speaker C:The Cubs come in in two weeks, the Dodgers come in.
Speaker C:You get some of those games that are going to test the Mets and see how good they really are.
Speaker C:But I think they're okay, and I think they're going to hold on to that first place for a little bit.
Speaker C:And then from there it's, you know, are you going to win those key matchups eventually, the Yankees, and, you know, we'll see where they stand.
Speaker C:I really think that they are one of the top clubs.
Speaker C:I think Soto's starting to get hot.
Speaker C:He's hitting the ball whether it's going over the wall or deep.
Speaker C:He seems like he's having a Little more fun.
Speaker C:It looked like he was blase when it was cold and wearing a hood, but I think, I think, I think he's okay.
Speaker C:And, you know, it's nice to see Alvarez back.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker C:And Mike, be honest.
Speaker C:Pete Alonso is explosive right now.
Speaker A:He's been over two strike hitter, putting.
Speaker C:The ball the opposite field.
Speaker C:His approach is different.
Speaker C:Hitting.350,31 RBIs or more and you know, you can't be happier.
Speaker C:And I just think that, you know, you could sit there and look at the losses and say it's a tough day or a tough week, but for the most part, this team has exceeded expectations.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And by going 13 and three at home, they've been able to, you know, drop a few here or there.
Speaker A:And like, I agree with you, I think no panic right now whatsoever, but just to keep an eye out, injuries, you know, it's like anything but.
Speaker A:I'm very happy for Pete as well because you could see he really had the weight of the world on his shoulders for a while.
Speaker A:Had an amazing playoff last year story, but great to have him back.
Speaker A:You know, looking forward, I hope that this doesn't drag out again, you know, that they find a way to, to meet in the middle and keep him because he should be a New York met.
Speaker A:And with, you know, with Soto in front of him, I've seen a lot of guys on base, there's nowhere to put him.
Speaker A:A lot of times he comes up bases loaded.
Speaker A:He's just been, he's been tremendous in the field as well.
Speaker A:So, yeah, a happy Pete is a happy Mets.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I think, you know, defensively, if you're going to say there's some spots of needing help, it's Vientos at third.
Speaker C:Just cannot throw the ball on the run.
Speaker C:Put Pete in a bad spot today.
Speaker C:I think the outfield is okay.
Speaker C:I love watching Tyrone Taylor.
Speaker C:I can't get enough of it.
Speaker C:Trying to watch Jeff McNeil on the outfield is tough, but I think the Mets are going to do what they have to do to, you know, Marte left the game today, they got Jose Azocar out there.
Speaker C:I mean, they're going to do whatever they have to do to keep people as healthy as possible, and that's give rest.
Speaker C:But I'm really happy with their starting pitching.
Speaker C:I think they've just done a great job keeping them in ball games.
Speaker C:They just got to go a little bit deeper, which I think at some point they will get six innings out of most of these guys.
Speaker C:But I think it's been Good.
Speaker C:I think it's been nice to see.
Speaker C:And honestly, they have to be happy with their attendance.
Speaker C:The people at home, they've been showing up.
Speaker C:The attendance has been through the roof and with nice weather, should be even better.
Speaker A:Definitely.
Speaker A:Last thing I wanted to ask you about The Mets, Jeff McNeil, I know we talked a couple weeks ago about when he was going to come back and how he was going to fit in the lineup and different things.
Speaker A:You see him staying with the team the rest of the year.
Speaker A:You think he's trade bait?
Speaker C:I don't think so.
Speaker C:I just think that there's so many injuries that he's such a utility player he can play anywhere.
Speaker C:So if an outfielder goes down, he could play the outfield.
Speaker C:If an infielder goes down, he could play the infield.
Speaker C:And I just think if he starts to not hit and he goes down to like that 200 range, who's going to want him?
Speaker C:And if he gets to like 350, are the Mets willing to get rid of someone?
Speaker C:For what?
Speaker C:What are they going to trade him for another starting pitcher they're going to trade him for.
Speaker C:I mean, are they going to go out there and try and get themselves Nolan Arenado and, you know, when the Cardinals fall apart, maybe Ryan Helsey, their closer.
Speaker C:Okay, I'll throw them in that package.
Speaker C:But they're not looking for a guy who signed a five year, $40 million contract.
Speaker C:If they're trying to get rid of Arenado and Housley, who are they trying to get?
Speaker C:They're trying to get, you know, Drew Gilbert.
Speaker C:They're trying to get Brandon Sproat.
Speaker C:They're trying to get the Mets prospects.
Speaker C:They're not trying to get some guy who's.
Speaker C:Who loves to play golf and is a veteran.
Speaker A:No, that's a great point.
Speaker A:The last.
Speaker A:I know I said last thing, but I was watching the Cubs the other night and Pete Crow, Armstrong boy, you.
Speaker C:Had to do it.
Speaker A:He's like a budding superstar.
Speaker A:And they traded the Mets, traded him for.
Speaker A:I can't even remember the.
Speaker C:That was the hobby.
Speaker A:Hobby bias.
Speaker A:Oh, my God, what a disaster that was, right?
Speaker C:You had Trevor Williams.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:You had to do it at the time, but, man, he looks like he's ready to eca.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:And he's.
Speaker A:Chicago's loving him, and it looks like he's loving Chicago.
Speaker C:He's so fast and, man, he's got some power.
Speaker A:Yeah, he'd be something to have.
Speaker A:Well, that's another conversation.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C: ,: Speaker C:If you want to call in Mike Goudone, Chris Caputo here for another 15 minutes.
Speaker A:So let's change over.
Speaker A:Let's go to the hardwood.
Speaker A:So the Knicks, should it have been that close, these games?
Speaker C:Mike?
Speaker C:I think it was the opposite.
Speaker C:I think that the.
Speaker C:The better team overall was the Pistons.
Speaker C:Yeah, they were one call away from winning game five.
Speaker A:Was that game five?
Speaker C:Yeah, the no foul call in the corner.
Speaker C:And then I can't even tell you what happened in game six.
Speaker C:It was just ridiculous.
Speaker C:Knicks are up 16 or 13 early.
Speaker C:Next thing you know, they're down.
Speaker C:They're down two at the half, then they're up six, then they're down 11, down seven with a minute 30 to go.
Speaker C:And, you know, you asked Mikhail Bridges what was seven in the timeout?
Speaker C:Didn't matter, you know, and he says a curse on the air when he's being interviewed by Mike Breen.
Speaker C:You know, we built for this.
Speaker C:And then all of a sudden, you know, the crossover by Jalen Brunson, and he hits that three.
Speaker A:But even before the three, what about the play when he drove to the basket, almost.
Speaker A:Almost fell, turns and score.
Speaker A:I mean, everybody in the world knew he was going to get the ball, and they didn't even bother setting screens for him anymore because they was just being doubled.
Speaker A:He's a magician with the ball.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And the Knicks had scored off a Pistons out of bounds.
Speaker C:And Mike, I don't know how you feel about this as a coach.
Speaker C:When you're running out of bounds plays.
Speaker C:Let's say you go four across the baseline.
Speaker C:Are you worried about throwing the.
Speaker C:Having someone flash to the foul line and you lob it and throwing to them, and they kind of quit on the ball, and then the other team steals and gives up a layup.
Speaker C:Some coaches don't even want to run that play.
Speaker C:And what happened is Karl Anthony Towns steals the inbounds and he goes the length of the court.
Speaker C:Now the Knicks are back in the game.
Speaker C:So sometimes when you're up by three or four, the last thing you want to do is turn the ball over on a live ball.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Those plays are too risky in my business.
Speaker C:Yeah, you got to find something that's going to get you a three pointer in the corner, you know, screen to screen or something like that.
Speaker C:I know we're talking X's and O's here, but I felt like Bernie Bickerstaff, Right?
Speaker C:That's his name.
Speaker C:Jb.
Speaker C:JB Bickerstaff.
Speaker C:JB Bickerstaff.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:Bernie was his dad.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Was all over the refs.
Speaker A:Well, Mike, did you hear?
Speaker A:All over Mike Breen's.
Speaker A:He said he's Mike Breen.
Speaker A:This was his exact quote and if I miss a word or two, I apologize.
Speaker A:But Mike Breen said he's been broadcasting games for 30 years and he has never seen a coach ride the refs.
Speaker C:Like jb breakers, timeouts, middle of the game, foul shots.
Speaker C:He was all up in their business.
Speaker C:And I'm not saying that Tibbs is not and that he's not doing his job there, but I think if he was a little more concentrating on what his team needed to be doing that they would have had a better chance.
Speaker C:Bottom line, Pistons turned the ball over too much.
Speaker C:They were the better team, but they turned the ball over too much in crunch time.
Speaker C:As far as the next round, I just feel like the Celtics are healthy.
Speaker C:I am hoping though that the Knicks can be that team of fate where they just steal game one and then.
Speaker A:Who knows after that exactly happened today with the Pacers.
Speaker A:They stole game one over Cleveland.
Speaker A:There's been so much, you know, Tibbs hate going around towards the end of the season, first round, you know, the Knicks are tired or whatever else.
Speaker A:You know, all the things that they need a different voice.
Speaker A:I mean the guy he.
Speaker A:2:50 win seasons back to back.
Speaker A:It's kind of, it's kind of hard to believe why people are hating on him.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:For his sake and I like the guy.
Speaker A:I hope they don't egg in this next series at least, you know, I mean not get swept or four one terrible.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker A:You know, just something, you know, stay healthy, let it, let him show what he can do.
Speaker A:You know, again with a healthy team.
Speaker A:Last year he did amazing things with, with it.
Speaker A:That was almost a team of destiny.
Speaker C:Yeah, but I think people were saying if the Knicks didn't win the first round, he's gone.
Speaker C:He rebuilt the Knicks, he got them back to where they are.
Speaker C:Was he definitely gone?
Speaker C:I don't know.
Speaker C:But there probably would have been a lot of talk of that.
Speaker C:Now if they lose in, in four games, I would say there's a pretty good chance they're going to think about making a move.
Speaker C:First three games Celtics played the Knicks.
Speaker C:This year the knicks led for 50 seconds.
Speaker C:50 seconds, okay.
Speaker C:They lost all the games by double digits and it was 23, 27 and 13 the first three times.
Speaker C:Then they played an overtime thriller.
Speaker C:This series compared to the Pistons is going to be totally different.
Speaker C:That was a boxing match, Mike.
Speaker C:That was who's going to grab and what are the refs going to call and I just felt like I didn't know what was going to happen down the stretch.
Speaker C:Was there going to be more fouls, less fouls?
Speaker C:This, the Celtics are just going to be shooting threes.
Speaker C:You know, this is, I don't.
Speaker C:All those games were close.
Speaker C:Three points, five points, two points.
Speaker C:Coming down to it, the Celtics only made 59 threes in their last series over Orlando, which I think is their fewest in any five game stretch.
Speaker C:This is going to be different.
Speaker C:They are going to be bombing threes on the Knicks.
Speaker C:The Knicks are one of the worst defensive three point teams.
Speaker C:So I think that there's going to be way more threes they're going to take.
Speaker C:Instead of them taking, you know, 33s a game, they're going to be taking 45 threes a game.
Speaker C:And if they're making 16, 17, you know, you're looking at a four game sweep.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's a great point because the Celtics are such a great three point shooting team and Orlando to their credit, did a great job taking that away and daring.
Speaker A:Then Plainside Tatum was, was hurt, of course, sat out one of the games.
Speaker A:But Kristaps Porzingis, former.
Speaker C:Nick.
Speaker C:Yeah, he's, he's, he stretches them out.
Speaker A:He does.
Speaker A:And when he's healthy boy, he.
Speaker A:What a.
Speaker A:Just the dimension he adds to that team.
Speaker A:Tremendous.
Speaker A:I want to take a minute, Cap, before we finish up tonight.
Speaker A:Just go out west to the Lakers and I wanted to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker A:You know, I don't even want to really talk about LeBron so much and I've never been a huge fan of him on the court.
Speaker A:I think that the whole goat discussion, I get it, but just the flopping and the whining and complaining.
Speaker A:But I want to talk about J.J.
Speaker A:redick.
Speaker A:So J.J.
Speaker A:redick, who has a lot to say, definitely, I think likes himself a lot of JJ Redick.
Speaker A:Last game he storms out of the press conference before the game.
Speaker A:He's being asked about not subbing in the second half now.
Speaker A:Silly question.
Speaker A:He was asked about talking to his assistants.
Speaker A:Of course he does.
Speaker A:But this guy is wound so tight.
Speaker A:I mean, could you imagine if Danny Hurley, I mean they looked at, I thought that they were going with a less powder keg guy.
Speaker A:In terms of JJ Redick, it seems like, how is he going to survive?
Speaker A:Because if you're walking out of press conferences in your first playoff series before it's even over, what's going on there?
Speaker C:Yeah, put it this way, since Phil Jackson has left, okay, okay, I'm gonna name you the coaches.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker C:Mike Brown.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker C:Bernie Bickerstaff, five games to finish it out.
Speaker C:Mike D'Antoni, Byron Scott, Luke Walton, Frank Vogel, Darvin Ham, J.J.
Speaker C:redick.
Speaker C:Who has coached the most amount of games of those.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Well, Vogel won the championship, but I.
Speaker C:Don'T think he was there that did win a championship.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's.
Speaker C:But that's my point, Mike.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Nobody's there long.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker C:Luke Walton coached 246 games.
Speaker C:Nobody has coached more than 246 games.
Speaker C:Games.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:Since Phil Jackson has left, you know, 246 games is a couple seasons.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:It's three.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:Not even three.
Speaker C: to: Speaker C:He was there.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker C:So how long is J.J.
Speaker C:redick really there?
Speaker C:The Lakers are never happy.
Speaker C:They won a championship with Frank gone.
Speaker C: he NBA cup with Darvin Ham in: Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:It's gone.
Speaker C:Okay, you're leaving.
Speaker C:We're trying to get Danny Hurley, we're trying to get J.J.
Speaker C:redick, we're trying to get the next guy.
Speaker C:I just don't think this is going to last that long for them.
Speaker C:And my second part is I could see the Lakers trying to possibly blow it up and say, either A, we're going to try and go with some younger players from other teams and get rid of LeBron and possibly, you know, get rid of Luka Doncic, or they might go the other way and really try to spring for it and go get Giannis for a year and give up.
Speaker C:But they'd have to give up a lot to get him.
Speaker C:Yeah, I mean, you know, the younger guys.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that would really be.
Speaker A:I mean, then you got nothing.
Speaker A:You have to.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:Not that I disagree with you, but I see them staying.
Speaker A:I think Luka is there and they'll build around him.
Speaker A:LeBron, listen, LeBron loves the drama.
Speaker A:And does he want to stay there?
Speaker A:Is he, you know already that it's out there.
Speaker A:He's not going to take a significant pay cut to get help.
Speaker A:I mean, the guy's got more.
Speaker A:It's not for me to complain about because everyone's entitled to make the money.
Speaker A:They do.
Speaker A:But Manone, the guy, he's going to be an owner.
Speaker A:I mean, that's the worst secret.
Speaker C:I think things also, like, think about the Lakers and the Knicks.
Speaker C:One commonality I see amongst them is at some point they tried to ride their starters.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker C:And the Knicks did it in the regular season.
Speaker C:The Lakers found times to Rest their guys in the.
Speaker C:But they went a whole half without subbing the Lakers.
Speaker A:That's unbelievable.
Speaker C:An entire half.
Speaker A:If I did that in high school.
Speaker C:Well, you.
Speaker A:I mean, there's times I've wanted to.
Speaker C:Trust me, but you would have Section 8 up there.
Speaker A:But could you imagine, I mean, even, even in a law.
Speaker A:I mean, five people on the court.
Speaker C:No foul trouble, no guys foul out NBA.
Speaker C:And, and you just ride them.
Speaker A:Oh my goodness.
Speaker C:It just.
Speaker C:That's too much.
Speaker C:And I just think.
Speaker A:Stubborn beyond belief.
Speaker D:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I just think at some point that's one of the things that the Knicks struggle with is, you know, what are you going to get from your bench?
Speaker C:McBride really hasn't given him much.
Speaker C:Mitchell Robinson, I think people expected more, but the guy didn't really play all year.
Speaker C:He tried to just throw him out there.
Speaker C:I'm not a campaign guy.
Speaker C:I mean, every once in a while he does something.
Speaker C:Okay, who really are you, you trusting on that Knicks bench?
Speaker A:Well, I don't think they trust anybody.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And the problem is then you can't take Towns and you can't take Brunson off the court in this series just because of the matchups, you know, with Tatum and having Porzinski, Porzingis.
Speaker C:I think you have to keep those guys out there for 44 minutes out of 48 minutes, which in the long run is going to destroy this team.
Speaker A:Now this is an easy question.
Speaker A:This is literally a layup for you as a coach.
Speaker A:But last play of the half, last game for the Knicks.
Speaker A:Three point shot on a long pass, right deuce McBride is fronting.
Speaker A:Fronting.
Speaker A:What's the first thing you're teaching people to do with their offensive player?
Speaker A:Do you want them open towards the basket or running away from the basket?
Speaker C:There's no.
Speaker C:In the NBA, they're not going over scenarios.
Speaker C:I mean, they're not.
Speaker C:Holy moly.
Speaker C:McBride, he looked like you're four foot three.
Speaker C:Basically letting a guy shoot right over you.
Speaker A:And a guy who, who hit mega threes in the first half, he caught a.
Speaker A:He was basically wide open.
Speaker C:And I don't understand why they have these guys.
Speaker A:No wonder he does not trust.
Speaker C:Right before the end of the half, you should have all your big guys in.
Speaker A:Oh, no, no.
Speaker A:Big on the ball.
Speaker A:That's what you know.
Speaker A:I mean, again, it's, it's easy to sit here and say, what else?
Speaker A:But personnel wise, all right, coaches do what they want on that level.
Speaker A:They're there for a reason.
Speaker A:They've forgotten more basketball than I'll probably know.
Speaker A:But if you're a play, if you're Deuce McBride, you're an NBA player and you're allowing a three point shooter to catch the ball over your shoulder, thrown from your bench.
Speaker A:I mean, Thibodeau must have been losing whatever Harry's got left on the top of his head in halftime.
Speaker C:Well, at this point, you, you haven't cheated, so I don't think you've looked.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:I still have the MLB standings here in front of me.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Game seven tonight, Warriors Rockets.
Speaker C:The Rockets play two great games in a row to get themselves to a game seven.
Speaker C:Not knowing anything.
Speaker C:What would you think?
Speaker C:Well, I, I'd say third quarter right now.
Speaker A:All right, I, I see, I see.
Speaker A:The Rockets are pretty big.
Speaker C:Okay, well, I think it's, I don't want the Rockets.
Speaker C:No, I think, I think in my head I was saying I think they have a pretty good chance because when it was going into game six, I was like, I'm going to take the Rockets to win the series.
Speaker C:Because, you know, you think even betting wise, whatever, money wise, it's probably decent money, but you would think if they could get there, they made the warriors put so much energy into trying that.
Speaker C:But experience is winning out.
Speaker C:Right now the warriors are up 11 in the third quarter, so.
Speaker C:Okay, but one of the major weird things is a lot of the game Sevens wind up going under, under 200 points.
Speaker C:These will wind up being defensive battles for game Sevens that teams just don't shoot the ball well and defense wins out.
Speaker C:But I'm going to be interested.
Speaker C:I honestly, during this year I tried to pull myself back from the Knicks because I just hate being disappointed trying watching other teams, trying to.
Speaker C:Watching Kevin Herder when he was on the Kings and then traded to the Bulls.
Speaker C:But I'm pulling myself back into the Villanova Knicks and you know, I am pulling myself, trying to pull myself back into Villanova now with a new coach.
Speaker C:But I'm going to pull myself back in and hope that they steal game one.
Speaker C:So we'll see what happens.
Speaker A:Let's hope so.
Speaker A:I mean, it's, it's exciting.
Speaker A:So I'm just.
Speaker A:Listen, a couple years ago we would have been happy just to be talking Knicks playoffs in anything right now.
Speaker C:They've won three years in a row.
Speaker C:They won the first round.
Speaker C:So let's take it another step.
Speaker A:Let's do it.
Speaker A:Well, again, thanks to our lacrosse coaches from Limestone University, from Adelphi University, Brian Graves behind the glass as always.
Speaker C:Back next week.
Speaker A:Next week, yes.
Speaker C:We'll be talking some Islanders.
Speaker A:We're going to some some Islander veterans on the program.
Speaker A:Have a great week.
Speaker A:And once again, this has been Sports Talk New York on wgb.
Speaker A:The views expressed in the previous program.
Speaker C:Did not necessarily represent those of the.
Speaker D:Staff, management or owners of wgb.
